Collection: Pullover Sweaters

I’m already experiencing the benefits of creating a small seasonal wardrobe. With only select pieces in front of me, it’s easy to see what never gets worn and slowly edit down to my truly beloved items. What stood out in my winter wardrobe was that most of my unworn items were pull-over sweaters, so it was time to assess and purge.

Most Worn

I’ll start with my favorites. The turtleneck is a gorgeous color, merino wool, soft and very warm, a silhouette I love on it’s own that’s also perfect for layering. When I need to stay warm and want to reach for something basic, this is my choice every time. The navy blue and white crew neck sweater is very unique, cropped to a flattering length which balances out the volume of the funky oversized sleeves nicely, and is basically indestructible considering it’s got to be between 20-30 years old. I reach for this when I’m in the mood to throw on one of my husbands hoodies but don’t want to look like a total slob. Both of these sweaters were love at first sight when I saw them and have earned their space.

Never Worn

Now on to the sweaters that never left the shelf. The top left was purchased back in 2015 when I first attempted to plan out my wardrobe. Of course I needed a soft neutral basic sweater to mix and match…except, as it turns out, I find it boring and have no interest in wearing it. Ever. The top right was the one wool sweater I owned last winter and I wore it no less than 3 times a week all season. It once earned it’s spot and I even took time to mend it, but it’s been replaced by the green turtleneck above and I’ve learned that winter where I live only requires one great wool sweater to get through. Both of these pieces will be passed along. As for the bottom two, I think they’re just more suited to spring or fall because the gray one is nearly transparent and I like wearing it with the sleeves rolled and pushed up to 3/4 length and the cream one is also a bit breezy without a tank underneath and I prefer the ease of wearing it on its own. I’ll tuck these back into the storage box until it warms up a little.

Personal Style Notes

The biggest take-away in terms of my personal style is that I like statement pieces and nothing too basic works as a stand alone item for me. I require just enough basics to keep the fun stuff functional, like denim and a few tees, but the bulk of what I own should fall into the latter category. As I continue wearing my winter wardrobe and begin sorting out my spring wardrobe, I’ll be looking for new ways to combine my statement pieces with each other, a la the Gucci, Prada, Fendi or any number of other designer shows.

I found it useful looking at a collection of items together in this way and might work my way through each category as the year goes on. My outwear collection, in particular, is so dialed in right now I’d love to share a current snapshot!

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3 thoughts on “Collection: Pullover Sweaters”

I enjoyed reading your sweater descriptions and logic of what you like or don’t. I’ve added your blog to my netvibes blog reader. Good job on displaying the sweaters in those nice even square pictures. I was wondering how you did that…

I’m currently doing my second quarterly ‘purge and sort’. I’m not totally where I want to be with the finished closet, but this time it’s much easier than the first one I did 3 months ago. Easier to weed out what I want to donate or toss and my current ‘clothing gaps’ are pretty clear. I’ve got some practical sewing to do.

As I’m putting the current capsule back into my closet, I’m using the old trick of turning the hangers backward, so that the open end of each hanger now faces the entrance. As I wear things, they’ll get hung back up with the hanger facing the other way. After the next 3 months, it’ll be really easy to see what never got worn.

I spend an obscene number of hours reading about the capsule wardrobes of others so it’s about time I gave it a try myself and so far I’m happy with the result! The hanger trick really does work well, I’ve tried that one before too…will have to pop over and see the things you make 🙂